Sound picture screen



Nov. 5, 1935. H. HERTZBERG 2,019,675

SOUND PICTURE SCREEN Filed March 25, 1935 23 lNV mR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I Application March 25,

18 Claims.

This invention relates to projection screens adapted for the projection of motion pictures accompanied by sound and particularly to that class of such screens which is provided with sound passages through the surface of the screen.

It is an object of this invention to provide a screen having a projection surface consisting of a plurality of sections or panels arranged in horizontal and vertical rows on a frame from which each individual section can quickly be removed and be replaced by another panel.

I It is another object of this invention to provide a screen which is rigid in construction, and which may easily be assembled and disassembled.

It is another object to provide a screen having a projection surface consisting of a plurality of sections or panels arranged in horizontal and vertical rows which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture.

It is still another object to provide a panel for a screen as above described which is composed of a plurality of individual light reflecting vanes, each of which can easily be removed therefrom and replaced by another vane.

The invention permits the construction of a projection surface with very fine and narrow spacings producing invision effect at close range and a smooth surface, at the same time giving wide, uniformly distributed sound passages over the whole screen surface.

With these and other objects in View, this invention provides a screen which is of very simple construction and easy to manufacture at reasonable price.

The invention will be better understood from the description to follow taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a rear'elevation of a sound picture screen embodying the invention, the screen being shown only partly assembled.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, with parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of a single screen panel.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the plane of the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a clamp which connects the individual panels to the frame of the screen.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the clamp of'Fig. 6 showing it attached to the base of a panel and a bar of the frame.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing.

1935. Serial No. 12,782

Ill-II represents a rectangular frame of angle iron having horizontal angles Ill and vertical angles II. The rearwardly extending flanges l4 of angles III are provided with equally spaced apertures through which rods or tubes l2 ex- 5 tend vertically through the open portion of the frame and are held in fixed positions by means of nuts l3 which are threaded on these rods against the outer faces of the flanges l4. To the rods l2 a plurality of small rectangular screen 10 panels I5 are fastened in horizontal and vertical rows to cover the whole open space of the frame formed by angles l0-| I. Panels l5 abut horizontally against each other on the vertical center line of rods l2, or they may be overlapped as shown'in Fig. 6.

Each panel consists of a plurality of vertical, preferably cylindrical bars I6 and a plurality of horizontal vanes I 8 which are bent longitudinally to provide a rearwardly extending leg I1, to which vane I8 is angularly disposed in upward direction. Legs I! are provided with a plurality of spaced apertures or rearwardly extending slots l9 through which the bars i6 pass and hold interposed between each two legs I! a tubular spacer 20 to separate the legs I! and vanes l8 from each other in vertical direction as shown in Fig. 7. At the top and bottom ends of bars 16 a thin nut 2| is threaded to clamp the vanes and spacers together.

In this manner, a rectangular panel is formed as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. It has a plurality of. parallel vertically inclined slots which extend continuously between its vertical ends. The closing and vibrating of the vanes against each other is prevented by longitudinally spaced projections 22 on their inner faces. Panels l 5 are fastened to the vertical rods l2 of the frame by means of clamps 23 which consist of a pair of complementary members cooperating with each other. Each of these members has a tubular eye portion 24 at its front end which is adapted to replace one of the spacers 20 and fits upon the bars iii of the panel. The middle portions of clamps 23 are semi-cylindrical in shape and together are adapted to encircle one of the rods l2 to which the clamp may be tied by means of the two screws 25 and 21 and nuts 26. The two eyes 24 are placed upon the two bars I6 nearest the adjacent vertical edges of. each pair of panels l5 and each replaces one of the spacers between the legs I! of two vanes l8. Preferably not less than three clamps are used on a vertical joint of two adjacent panels. It will be apparent from Fig. 6 that thfi Vertical edges of two adjacent panels may be 55 tied closely against each other by tying screw 21 of clamp 23 more than screw 25. It will also be seen from the same Figure 6 that the ends of both vanes may extend a. short distance beyond the central plane of rod I2 and clamp 23 and that the end of one vane may be crimped to lean against the back of the front vane to hold the ends of the vanes in alignment.

All panels I5 are of the same size and interchangeable with each other. The ends of the vanes I8 near the frame bars II, like the other panels, end on or closely to the center of rods I2 near bars II and a narrow vertical space is formed between these bars and the vane ends. This space is preferably covered by an ornamental outer frame 28. In addition to the interchangeability of the panels I5 each single vane I8 of any panel may be quickly and conveniently exchanged by slightly loosening nuts 2| and pulling out any desired vane as bars I6 slide in the slots I9 of leg I! on the vane I8 and a new vane can be inserted in like manner.

This screen has many advantages over existing metallic screens by reason of its simplicity of manufacture and great stability.

Better results in sound transmission are obtained by the increased stiffness of the individual panels by means of their rigid construction on vertical bars and the horizontal leg on each vane which prevents Warping and sagging. The sound passages are extremely large and uniformly distributed over the whole screen. The sound ,waves are received in horizontal direction and deflected upward by the vanes. The use of locking bars and spacers in clamping the angular vanes in place and locking them jointly prevents vibrations of the vanes and humming or false noises and it reproduces the tone clearly and naturally.

The means for mounting the panels on the frame by the vertical rods and split clamps locking the panel securely thereto greatly facilitates the exchange of panels in a very short time and without special tools. These bars also held the screen surface absolutely flat and rigid and prevent its bending.

This screen may be built in a great many sizes by making the frame'to accommodate more horizontal and vertical rows of panels. The bars of the frame may be bolted to each other to be disassembled for transportation while the panels may be stacked to form a small package.

Having thus described my invention, I want it to be understood that changes in details of construction may be made without departing from the principle of the invention and I desire to be limited only by the state of the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a screen for picture projection, a frame consisting of horizontal and vertical bars joined together, spaced rods extending between the horizontal bars and disposed rearwardly of the plane of the frame, and a. plurality of abutting panels supported on said rods and disposed on the same plane as the frame, said panels forming a single uninterrupted screen.

2. In a. screen of the kind described, a frame consisting of a pair of horizontal and a pair of vertical bars joined together, vertical rods extending between said horizontal bars and spaced from each other, and a plurality of abutting panels forming a single uninterrupted screen surface, each panel being supported by a pair of rods.

3. In a screen of the kind described, a frame including a pair of. horizontal bars, a plurality of perpendicular rods joining said bars to each other, a plurality of panels adapted for sound transmission therethrough and clamping means slidably held on said rods for supporting said panels in abutting relation to each other.

4. In a screen of the kind described, a frame including a pair of parallel bars, a plurality of rods perpendicular thereto joining said bars to each other, a plurality of pairs of panels adapted for sound transmission therethrough, each pair of panels abutting against each other in front of one of said rods and a clamp joining said pair of panels to said rod.

5. In a screen of the kind described, a frame including a pair of spaced parallel bars, a plurality of rods perpendicular thereto joining said bars to each other, a plurality of pairs of panels adapted for sound transmission therethrough each panel being attached to a pair of said rods, each pair of panels abutting against each other in front of one of said rods; a clamp connecting a pair of panels to said latter rod and forcing their edges into abutting relationship.

6. In a screen of the kind described, a frame including a pair of spaced parallel bars, a plurality of spaced cylindrical rods held between said bars perpendicularly thereto, a plurality of panels adapted for sound transmission therethrough each supported on a pair of said rods forming a plurality of rows perpendicular to said rods and a plurality of clamps on each rod connecting all panels in a row slidably to said rod for closing the joints between said rows and providing means to close the joints between each two panels in a row.

7. A panel adapted for sound transmission therethrough comprising a plurality of spaced apart vanes, each vane consisting of a strip of pliable sheet material bent longitudinally to form two legs angularly disposed to each other, one of said legs having spaced slots disposed in alignment, a plurality of rods, each rod passing through the aligned slots in all of said vanes and means to hold said vanes and rods together.

8. A panel adapted for sound transmission therethrough consisting of a plurality of spaced vertical rods parallel to each other, a plurality of fiat horizontal strips of sheet material on said bars spaced from each other and a vane on each strip extending angularly upward in a plane remote from the plane of said rods.

9. A panel adapted for sound transmission therethrough consisting of a plurality of vertical parallel rods, a plurality of flat strips of sheet metal removably held on said rods parallel to each other, a vane on each strip extending angularly upward therefrom and separators between the adjacent strips and the adjacent vanes keeping them apart to form sound passages.

10. A panel adapted for sound transmission therethrough consisting of a plurality of vertical parallel rods, a plurality of fiat strips of sheet metal removably held on said rods parallel to each other, a vane on each strip extending angularly upward therefrom and separators between adjacent strips on said rods to form sound passages.

11. As an article of manufacture, a vane for a talking picture screen consisting of an elongated strip of sheet metal bent angularly in longitudinal direction to form two angular legs, one of said legs being provided with spaced apertures throughout its length.

12. As an article of manufacture, a sound vane clamp for a picture screen consisting of two metallic straps each having a central semi-cylindrical portion for engaging a cylindrical support, a hollow cylindrical end portion at one side of said central portion parallel to said central portion spaced therefrom and outwardly offset from said strap, an eye portion adjacent said central portion at the opposite side thereof, said two straps being joined by a pair of bolts, one on either side of said central portion and forming means to adjust said offset hollow cylindrical portions towards and away from each other.

13. In a talking picture screen, rods for mounting sectional panels having spaced vanes and means for fastening a panel to a rod, said means also serving as a device to maintain adjacent vanes in spaced relationship.

14. In a talking picture screen, rods for mounting sectional panels having spaced vanes and a. member for fastening a panel to a rod, said member consisting of complementary strap portions adapted to encircle the rod and having an extension adapted to be positioned between adjacent vanes of a panel to maintain them in spaced relationship.

15. In a talking picture screen, a rod, a plurality of vanes on said rod, each of said vanes consisting of a horizontal portion and an upwardly angular portion, a member on the rod between the horizontal portions of adjacent vanes to keep said portions in spaced relation and an inwardly extending lug on inner face of each angular portion to maintain the adjacent an-' gular portions in spaced relation.

16. In a talking picture screen, a frame, mounting rods on the frame, and sectional panels on said rods consisting of spaced vanes, the lowermost vane of each panel having a rearwardly depressed portion adapted to receive the upper portion of the top vane of its adjacent panel, in prolongation of and in alignment with the surface of said lowermost vane.

17. A talking picture screen comprising a frame, spaced rods on the frame rearwardly thereof, a plurality of abutting panel sections forming an uninterrupted projection screen and clamping means for supporting said panel sections on said rods in abutting relation with each other and on the same plane as the plane of the frame.

18. In a talking picture screen, a sectional panel comprising a plurality of spaced rods, a plurality of vanes mounted on said rods, each vane including a horizontal portion engaging the rods and a substantially vertical portion, members on the rods between the adjacent horizontal portions to keep said portions spaced from each other and lugs on the inner face of the vertical portions to keep said vertical portions spaced from each other, and means on the ends of said rods for holding all of said elements together.

HARRY HERTZBERG. 

